Graphic Video Reportedly Shows Taliban Executing Afghan Special Forces

Recent unconfirmed footage reportedly shows Taliban fighters executing Afghan Special Forces troops that had surrendered.

The video that was submitted to Funkers 530 shows several members of the Afghan SF Ktah Khas (KKA) being waved into a quad shortly after surrendering. As they reach the end of the compound, excited shouting from the Taliban erupts and the Afghan troops are cut down with automatic weapons fire. 

Funkers 530 reiterated that the submitted video from an anonymous source is unconfirmed, so its veracity or even timeframe can’t be completely verified. 

Taliban Propaganda Goes Out of the Window

If the video is indeed true and recent, it puts an end to the Taliban’s propaganda of allowing Afghan government troops to surrender using “a safe option.”

According to it, Taliban fighters establish direct contact with Afghan forces. They then pledge that if they surrendered they will be unharmed and even given allowances to return to their homelands. 

The video can be seen here. Warning: the scenes are graphic and are not suitable for all viewers. 

The Taliban have been using social media to spread their propaganda. They have recently broadcast instances of Afghan National Army foot soldiers and militias being welcomed by Taliban leaders. They are hugged as they turn in their weapons and equipment and in turn assure that they will not fight against the Taliban in the future.

The Taliban hope that by offering an enticement to the Afghan troops the large casualty rates they have been suffering in their offensive against the Afghan government will be reduced.

But apparently, this largess by the Taliban does not extend to the Afghan Special Forces. And not surprisingly. The Afghan Special Forces constitute only about seven percent of the force but conduct between 70 and 80 percent of the fighting for the Afghan government. The Ktah Khas (KKA) forces are the most specialized of all.

The Premier Afghan Special Force

The KKA is the Afghan government’s national-level counterterrorism unit. U.S. Special Operations counterterrorism troops created this partner force so they could have Afghan support to conduct high-value counterterrorist operations.

The standards of being accepted into the KKA are extremely high and candidates must pass strict screening tests, pass face-to-face interviews, physical tests, psychological exams, counter-intelligence investigations, and polygraph tests in order to be selected for training. The attrition rate for KKA is nearly 90 percent. 

KKA eventually progressed to being able to plan, conduct and execute independent operations, precision raids, and vehicle interdictions against high-value targets.

While watching the video, we can assume (once again, if it is legitimate), that the surrender of the Afghan troops happened very recently if not just moments before the video. The Afghan operators are still wearing their kit and appear (the video is somewhat grainy) to be wearing the Ops-Core Future Assault Shell Technology (FAST) Helmet. This is a combat helmet used by special operations forces.

In screenshots from the video, Taliban members can be seen carrying the weapons the operators had been carrying. The weapons appear to be M4 carbines with the foregrip, IR laser, and ACOG style optic that the U.S. issued to Afghan Special Forces. 

There is no way to ascertain if the Afghan Special Forces were captured in combat or turned themselves in as so many ANA and police forces have been doing. 

It seems that the Afghan military will collapse soon after the Western coalition’s withdrawal, despite what Washington is saying. Military officials can see the writing on the wall. 

The U.S. will not help the Afghans militarily once the withdrawal is complete. President Biden made that abundantly clear when he said, earlier this week, that it is up to the Afghan people to decide their own future. Right now, it is looking more and more like 1996 when the Taliban seized control of the country. That is bad news for most Afghan civilians but especially so for the military who fought with the West.